I know this has been covered before, but the I can't get the search feature to work. When making mock scrapes, is vine or rope better for the licking branch? Probably a little late to be messing with it this year but I thought I'd put up a few and see what I get on camera. I remember a lot of you guys like the vine but I saw a youtube video of Don Higgins and he swears by the rope method. As far as the scrape goes, do you pee in it?
I've never used rope or vines, I use branches. I think anything with a little scent on it at the right height will work. Lots of people like rope and vines though.
Yes, I've peed in them many times. I don't think the scent on the ground is nearly as important as the scent on the licking branch.
I’ve had good luck with vines, great luck making under a beech tree and using the beech branch. One of my best I made was a cut limb under a pine. Branch broke off but I have pics of deer standing up on hind legs to reach the lowest line branch now to make the scrape and lick the branch etc.
Thanks for all of the information! I was out last weekend helping some friends move a stand and I cut several lengths of vines. Just got to get out to the woods and get a few up. The video above has a lot of great information.
deerhunter72……..you commented in your first post about it being a little late to be messing with them. I think you’ve still got plenty of time to get them put out. I first tried the ropes (and the Smokey’s scent) but didn’t have much success with it. Some guys have had good luck with it, though. The grapevines have worked much better for me. I’m starting to change out the vines each year. Seems like they tend to get brittle and I’ve had bucks snap several of them off while working them. If they get broken off too high, the deer seem to quit utilizing the scrape.
t-roy, I went ahead and put out 3 vines tonight. I’ll run my cameras in a couple weeks and see what I get. I put them in travel routes where there are scrapes every year. Pretty sure Smokey’s is what Higgins works well for him. I’ve got some rope, so I might throw one of those up after the season.
Must have been in my twenties or thirties years ago when started messing with vines after I noticed a heck of a scrape hanging under a broke wild grape vine... It was kinda out of place where it was and not really in a good spot you would have thought a scrape should have been... The deer had to kinda go out of their way to get to it... It got my attention, kinda like the very few cedar trees in my area, and if you see any, they all get rubbed and bucks go out of their way to reach them too... Anyhow after I started looking for hanging vines and notice most hanging vine had scrapes under them, so I began tearing down vines I could reach in good spots, and yeah deer started using them and surprisingly some does I observed while hunting as licking branches... This was way before trail cams but hadn't really realized how much they used them year round... It wasn't until the Wensels wrote a piece on hanging ropes did it occur to me that a person could relocate a piece of vine to where they wanted.... I'm like duh, why didn't I think of that... But yeah, they work great, both vines and rope, and have video of deer inspecting them year round...
Am now going with grape vine section with 5/8" hemp rope tie-wrapped to it, the best of both worlds, the vine to keep it stiffer and the rope to help absorb any kind of natural deer scent left behind... From the bottom of the vine, I leave about a 6 - 8" tail of rope with a overhand knot at the end... I think another key is the height, and was placing them about chest to chin high about 48 - 53" above ground.... Am still experimenting with the height... Photo attached of button buck rearing up to reach rope... Photo was taken 3 years ago, have since lowered the height... How high are youenz?
Zbone, I thought chest high was the right height, which on me isn’t very high because I’m 5’8”. I always thought bigger bucks liked a higher licking branch, but according to several videos I watched lower is ok/better. I went waist high.
I think the like the way the vine/rope hangs down so it is easier for them to transfer the pre-orbital scent. I found a great scape where a broken branch was hanging down like a vine/rope.
Someone with some bucks around should hang a cam overlooking a collection of hanging things to see how the bucks react to the different things. Somethings I can think of to experiment with.....maybe the vine, rope, stick, branch...heck, hang an old rattling horn(s) and see how they react to those. Me and mama are hitting the road on Thursday and will be gone for a while. Otherwise I'd try the rattling horn idea and see if the deer would react to it. The bucks might like the noise it would make.
JL - Hmmm, hanging a antler sounds interesting (pun intended), good thinking... I might actually try that... They may like that tickling around with their rack while working a limp/vine/rope... Could be interesting, you may have started a new trend...8^)
BTW, that photo of the button buck rearing up to reach the rope was lower when the limb was in full foliage when I placed it, and I never took the time to re-lower it after the tree shed it's leaves... On some limbs it make a difference, leaf weight is something to consider...
Z...please try that and hang a cam on the antler. I'm curious what the deer's reaction would be. Ya....I could see a buck tickling the antler and attracted to the noise.
This is what I started with today, a rope and/or vine has been hanging here half dozen years or so and is a year round licking branch/scrape used by both does and bucks, but currently there isn't an active scrape under it...
Am dealing with COVID right now but needed to get out of the house for a while so decide to try and hang a shed... It's a short walk a little over a hundred yards where I'm going to go so figure I could make it that far...
If you notice my limb is now dead... The rope knot is hanging around belly high, and I get a new piece of grapevine and suspend it a couple feet or so to the side where the bottom is about chest high... It looked good, so procede to hang an old shed about a couple feet to the other side, but in the process the whole dead limb breaks off... urrrr...
Am exhausted from COVID so I take a little break and sit on a downed log... Notice this in a corner of a field I have winter rye growing mainly between the mowed grasses and weeds...8^) The fallen logs out in the field are from a dead snag just downed a week or so and haven't had time to clean it up yet...
Not my choice, but I had to move to another tree... Anyhow, this is what I ended up with... Wish I could have cleaned up this new limb a little but forgot to bring a pruner with me...The antler is about my nose level high...
Before my completion, setting on one of the logs thinking over what to do for about 10 minutes and taking it all in on this fall evening,,, I stand up and out in the high weeds below, a loud snort and a nice buck bounds away... I'm here every day looking out the window all the time and this was the first time I'd seen that buck, and he wasn't one of the 2 little basket racks thats been there all summer... Will see how long it takes him to find my project... I'll try to get a trail cam mounted in the near future...
Good work Zbone! I’ll be interested to see if the bucks like those antlers.
I pulled cards today and 2 of my vines and mock scrapes have seen a lot of activity. One more than the other two. Lots of does and several small bucks are using them. We still have crops in so hopefully things will pick up soon, but still I’m impressed so far.
That's cool deerhunter72, that's a nice buck there too... Is that your target buck?
Went back yesterday placed a trail cam and pruned the small branches off my new limb... The limb is so small after pruning the less weight raised my hangs a few inches... So again I set and thought it over and ended up reorganizing and dropped the shed to height of where I thought if a buck worked the rope hopefully the shed would tickle his rack.... This time I tied the shed paracord with half hitches to adjust if I get hopeful video.. Will try to pull the trail cam card tomorrow...
Zbone, that buck has been around some since I’ve had my cameras out this summer. Don’t really have a target buck yet, although there is one that would be hard to let go. Still hoping for another mature buck or two to show up once the crops are out.
Pulled the SD card today, but unfortunately the trail-cam I had there the past couple years wouldn't power up so I trashed it and broke out a new cheapo trail-cam I bought a few years ago on clearance for like $50 for 2... Anyhow I did get video but the quality is poor especially nighttime video...
Got no video of deer under the hangs so am thinking this cheap camera is too far away to trigger, but I did get some very interesting video... While I was reorganizing the hangs, trimming limbs and whacking a little bit of brush for clear camera view, a doe and basketrack 6-point came out from the other end of the field about 50 or 60 yards or so... I seen them come out while I was sitting taking a break, petting and talking to my dog... They seen me and knew I was there but they're kinda humanized seeing me in the yard all the time doing things, mowing, etc... They can be 30 yards or so away in the field when I walk out the house to my vehicles and never run... Heck, half the time they don't run when I let the dog out and she runs and barks at them... Since I've been home sick since Tuesday deer have been in my field every day in the middle of the day a lot... Ironically a buddy texted me yesterday saying he's been seeing deer behind his house all week during the middle of day... The cool weather change here this past week may have something to do with it...
So anyhow, there I was watching the deer come out to feed while they know I'm there... I get up and proceed to whack weeds and they continue their thing... After a few minutes, I sit down to take another break, and here they come... They're like, "What are you doing not moving"...8^) They come within bow range before they get nervous and start stomping and eventually blow and bound off out of there...
On the card 2 hours and 10 minutes later, a doe (I assume the same one) cautiously appears on the video just in front of the camera and starts inspecting the brush stuble I just cut...8^) She did a very thorough inspection then walked away out of view and then a bit later the 6-point comes into view and does his thorough inspection... Then a little later another different basketrack 6-point appears and does his inspection, then later another backetrack 6-point appears for inspection... I think they all knew I was there and all wanted to know what I was doing...8^) They were really curious about my trimmings and never approached the hangs...
I'd seen 2 of those little bucks hanging together off and on throughout the year but didn't realize there were 3 of them, and they all have different configured racks...
Took a tape measure with me and the bottom of the shed is hung 59" off the ground, I think it still may be a little high...
Gonna try to relocate the trail-cam tomorrow for better video...
Thanks guys. I did not kill him over the scrape. I used the mock scrape in the same location each year to confirm of he was alive or not. Eventually I figured out that he would only move with the wind at his advantage and I killed him as he was quartering into the wind. I did not weigh him. He is 24.5 inches wide inside. He measured right at 180” gross.
Video pulled yesterday not so good... A mature doe didn't want any part of the hanging shed... Approached it very cautiously head bobbing like they do and eventually skirted around it, would not walk underneath... I'm like hmmm, maybe this hanging antler thing not so good of idea... But then a little later one of the little 6-pointers walked right up to the rope, worked it and opened a scrape... Didn't touch the vine and as screenshot reveals the antler is to high to engage and the knot at bottom of rope is 53" off the ground and it's too high, so I moved the shed over to a different tree as not to spook the does and readjusted the camera... Will try to spend some time today for different setups...
Going to go with this setup a while since the doe didn't want to pass under the shed so I moved it over to another tree about 10' or so and as can see placed it about belly high and attached a fresh cut little branch next to it... Placing the hanging shed kind out of the way from normal deer travel pattern from woods opening, theory is a buck might walk over and work the branch and hopefully tickle the antler... Would like to see the reaction...
Also dropped the rope a few inches and added another trail-cam hoping to get some good video...
Those interested, thought I'd update... Seems October lull here, haven't caught a buck on video since October 4th, and the few times a doe or fawn passes the hangs, no reaction at all by any of them... Things will start heating up in a few days, chasing around here usually begins around the 20th - 23rd...
I can see it now walking through the woods and deer antlers hanging everywhere. A new industry is being invented right before our eyes. We can sell a piece of grapevine and a piece of deer antler as a scrape starter kit. We just need us a poaching celeb to be the face of our business. Now that the bowmars are pleading guilty next month we can hire them.
After coming home from work yesterday one of the little 6-point basketracks was playing house with a doe near the house and by the way they were acting lovey dovey laying together, I'll bet a cookie she is in estrus or near it... Made note of it, October 16th, earliest I've seen a buck and doe hooked up like that... Could be an early fawn in my back yard next spring... If it hadn't been for football and Tribe game I would have walked back and retrieved the SD cards to see if any action under the hangs on video... Will try and retrieve the cards today after work...
So far, I've been very impressed by the amount of action the vines have been getting in my woods. Not all, but most deer that walk by give them a smell. Things should be getting good in the next few weeks.
Very slow at my site, too much acorn and nut mass for them to use this opening, but with the minimal deer traffic there, finally a mature doe came and give a good sniff of the rope... She paid no attention to the vine, then surprisingly, turned then went out of her way and walked over to the hanging shed and gave it a good sniff... It did not spook her like the other one before... And interestingly, after she sniffed the shed, she gave the hanging branch I placed there a good once over too, then sniffed the ground below as if expecting a scrape to be there...
That's cool about the shed sniffer. When I get back in MI.....I'll set up a single antler or a cap (both) and see what happens. I'll wash it with baking soda first and then put some scent on it.
Yeah JL, let us know how that goes... Ya know, speaking of scent on the shed, I didn't think of baking soda to clean it at the time... That shed I found many years ago was rodent chewed, tips gone, and been in my dog's kennel for 5 years... I know that because I put it in her kennel when she was a puppy and she is now 5... I don't think she's gnawed on it one bit... Anyhow it was kinda a rush job when I took it out of her kennel and rinsed it under the sink... Thought about maybe spraying it with bleach cleaner then decided against it and just rinsed and rubbed it a few times with paper towels... Never thought of baking soda, good idea... It's been out there hanging while weathering a couple weeks now so imagine dog and human scent are gone by now... As said, she was interested in it as she was with the placed branch... Next few weeks are going to be interesting...
Those interested, being November 1st and hadn't updated since October 19th, I pulled SD cards today... Since the doe sniffed the shed on Oct 17th, it wasn't until Oct 21st any deer appeared when a doe and fawns walked through the view without any attention to any hangs... The next action wasn't for two days on Oct 23rd when two family groups of does and skippers came bouncing through tails in the air spooked during midday... What spooked them, couldn't say... Then the next deer to appear was 5:04 PM on Oct 24th when one of the basket-6s came by and worked my tiewrapped overhanging limb first then went over to the rope and worked it (photo attached) but didn't pay one bit of attention to the hanging shed... Finally a buck, hadn't had a buck in view there since Oct 4th, thats been three weeks... The next hit wasn't until five days later on Oct 29 at 8:20 AM, when a new dink showed up and worked the rope... Don't know where he came from, hadn't seen or caught him on film before, has long spikes with 2 small brow points... I'll call him a 2x2...8^) Then two days ago on Oct 30th at midday 3:10 PM the same basket-6 stopped in full view, mouth gaping open and panting looking back over his shoulder, paused a couple seconds then trotted into the woods... This guy (same photoed) looks like a basket-8 but he's only a 3x3 without brow tines... He's been the buck I've most seen throughout the year, he's been in the backyard quite a bit... What he was running from or to so hard, I can only guess rutting activity...
Nothing since... For those keeping track, that's 4 dink bucks and zero mature bucks filmed, so I wizzed under the rope today...8^)
In CT there is zero activity. No scrapes. No rubs. Nothing happening. Should be littered with sign by now in the woods. No acorns either. Another one of the weirdest years. Last year…..all the movement was at night. Everything.
Z-bone, appreciate the update on the science project. It is fun following along But you are obviously not a trapper if you think the dog stink is off that antler from just rinsing it in water. That antler has absorbed a lot of dog stink from being in a kennel for 5 years! back in high school I recall catching a fox in a dirt hole set I hadn't lured or tended for 2-3 weeks because I was too busy to pull it and it was too easy to check from the cab of the truck. So I am confident your deer can still smell your dog, I just make no assumptions on how they feel about it
And for the record, I am not seeing the usual number of scrapes I usually see this week of the year. Haven't even seen the single serving disposable scrapes that get made everywhere this time of year. south west Maine/south east NH Erik
Hi blue spot... Believe it or not, I was/am a trapper, not saying a good fox trapper, but have caught fox on dirt hole sets...8^))) I thought about the dog scent too, but it's been weathering there now for 5 weeks, doubt much dog scent is left, and besides if they were that sensitive to it, they would know it is my dog and not another dog, and that my dog is harmless out there in that field peeing and pooping daily...8^) Which opens a new can of worms, can a deer recognize one canine from another strictly from scent... Hmmmm....
Cool stuff APauls, thanks for sharing, wish my vine received that kind of action, but forgot to add in my last post I think I may have reason for such an October lull at my site...
Two summers ago (before Biden's ignoration) they ran a big pipeline across a road and adjacent properties a few hundred yards away which I would aways hear loud heavy equipment and chain saws from my property... I don't drive that road much but the pipeline construction lasted over a year and would periodically hear them working on the road crossing after and think nothing of it, but hadn't heard equipment over there this year until a month or so ago when I started hearing chain saws and heavy equipment again, so at the time thought they were doing cleanup work or more road work, until the other day I drove by there and see they are building a new house.... urrrrrr..... I know it's changed deer patterns... How much is to still be determined...
sorry to hear about the new neighbor. Hopefully they don't "bait" the deer off your place with the new land scaping ! Sounds like you are more of a trapper than I am. Haven't done any serious fur trapping since college in the late 80's/early 90's. Damn that makes feel old to say that.
As I said, I make no claim the dog stink affects the deer but my suspicion is they aren't attracted to dog toys much even if they don't turn them off. But I still like following your experiment. Any thing that is a constant that doesn't bother the deer isn't likely to spook them, at least until it is something new or out of place or context.
This buck was 1 of 3 nice bucks that I had pictures of beginning late September at the scrape and kept seeing them on camera into October and finally connected with this one in November. All pictures were in daylight.
Yeah me neither blue spot, hadn't used a steel jaw trap probably since the 80s but did carry a state certified nuisance trapping licence for a few years until a job change, but that was mainly raccoon, groundhog and skunk complaints trapped in cage traps... Once was contacted by a nice ole gentleman who said coon was getting into he cat food... Said he thinks there were 4 of them, a mama and 3 babies.... Well, I caught 23 raccoons and 3 opossum in one cage trap at the same location and never moved the trap...8^))) And was proud I never caught any if his cats the whole time neither...8^) Didn't charge the nice man in which he granted me permission to bowhunt and killed a nice buck the following November on his property... It was peak rut but hadn't had a chance to scout the property, so first day bow in hand took a climber and set up in a good looking spot in a small saddle, and swear I wasn't in that tree less than a half hour and this nice buck came cruising by and made the shot...8^)
Yeah, that new house construction is a bummer, with many or most of the leaves now down, I can see it from my deck, and to top it off, they placed it within the deer's travel corridor...8^(
Just read the JL bear thread, he posted on this thread... Would like to give my deepest condolences to JL's family and friends... So sorry for their loss...
I tried something new this year here in NC Nebraska hunting isolated groves in cattle country set a fresh cut cedar log about 3” diameter and pegged oak branches into it where you can’t find an oak tree for miles made a mock scrape under it and doctored it with plenty of conquest dominate buck and tinks 69 hardly a deer in the area can resist it does fawns bucks of all sort for 3 weeks now card has 6-700 pics per week set on a 10 sec interval plenty of action it works in my part of the world anyway best legal bait I know of
They work pretty good even where we have plenty of trees, as well, Murph. I like to use pines, but they’re hard to come by in my neck of the woods. Cedars and basswoods work pretty well, too. Even cedar fence posts will oftentimes work. I’ve got a triple threat setup in the pic. Rubbin post, grapevine and a fresh hickory branch. Hickory seems to stay pliable and not break easily for a season.
I sank this post on a spot where the nearest tree is two miles away. It turned the spot into a lunatic asylum.. Every buck in the area has to check it out. A scrape the size of a kids pool will be there by the end of November.... Fun stuff....
Thanks for the rubbing post pix... Had seen pix before of open country rubbing posts (including fence posts) I think going back to one of Wensel's books but hadn't really thought about trying one in my area with limitless rubbing trees, but started thinking of trying one now... I was headed out to stand this afternoon and remembered I had a few pressurized posts that'd been out weathering a while... The one on the left am keeping for a security light, which of the two on the right should I try, the 4x4 square or the 4x3 flat/round? I know they are pressurized wood but don't remember what kind, but imagine some kind of pine, does it really matter pine or cedar, or pressurized?
I don’t know that it matters my local telephone company uses penta treated pine posts to mark their fiber optic cable in the county ROW have never seen one that deer haven’t rubbed and many look like an hour glass and their literally along a dirt road ditch their 4”-5” corner posts
Am on vacation and since things still kinda slow the past three days with only one of the basket-6s, a button and a couple does hitting the rope, and the vine wasn't getting hit at all decided to do one more and final hanging adjustment to my science project...8^)
I think the house construction hosed things up... Had another neighbor with construction going on the other side of me and watched and listened to a tracko work most of the afternoon into evening on the new house across the hill, so I moved the vine over a few feet and let it hang low to knee high, with a short fork above chest high and left the paracord end hand belly high...
If ya look behind just to the right of the big white oak trunk between the view of the hanging fork, you'll see a fresh rub on a tiny sapling that wasn't there Tuesday, but didn't catch it on video.... Urrrr, I need a decent trai-cam...
Dont have a post set yet, so brainstorming today, a mighty oak snag fell into the middle of my field last year too big for me to cut up, and although deer will jump over the thick trunk they usually walk around the top end and actually have a slight trail so made a branch extention attaching arching vine over the small trail... Am curious to see if it'll receive any action... Don't have a trail-cam on it, but I can see it from my windows...8^)
Zbone, Started out with tinks and conquest scents but I’m no expert I’m as green as grass on this deal theirs plenty on this forum that have this deal mastered by the looks of it
Zbone, Started out with tinks and conquest scents but I’m no expert I’m as green as grass on this deal theirs plenty on this forum that have this deal mastered by the looks of it
"I know they are pressurized wood but don't remember what kind, but imagine some kind of pine, does it really matter pine or cedar, or pressurized?"
I don't necessarily think it matters round vs square, but I purposely avoid treated lumber, if I have a choice. I use 4x4x8 square natural cedar post, a natural cedar/pine tree in that size would be great as well if you can find one. I also shred some of the corners with a sharp knife to get it going and bring the scent out, I dont use any store bought pee scent - but I always pee in them. But nothing trumps location. Im sure whatever you use will draw some interest.
Science project update - The hanging fork/vine/paracord got some doe attention the past couple days with 2 different does... Three bucks cruised by but hadn't the time to stop to investigate because they were too busy chasing does...8^)
Then she brought her attention to the limb fork, then walked over the rope, inspected the ground beneath, then back to the hanging fork... After, she approached the hanging shed but was very skidish about it... Am thinking she is probably the same doe that didn't like it before...
I like this setup, gonna let it go for a while...
Haven't seen any action at the field deadfall vine, although I'm not looking out the window all the time... 8^)
Yeah, I been meaning to update this thread, but kinda been busy trying to get a decent trail cam out that'll work reliably... My cards been out a week or so, will try to swap them out tonight and update...
Troy - Still haven't had the chance to swap my SD cards yet which has been out about a week, but basically every deer that passed by my hanging setup from mid November through our gun season the week after Thanksgiving stopped to inspect, except for the hanging shed... The hanging shed received no positive attention I could see but I had trail-cam complications most of the time... The shed even kinda spooked does, (well, at least one doe doesn't like it) but didn't seem to have any affect on the basketracks that passed close by...
Had little deer traffic activity back there the whole season and all of it was does, skippers, and those small basketrack bucks... Not one single mature buck traveled through was caught on video... But almost every time a deer did passed my limb/rope/cord setup they'd stop to inspect it... What surprised me was how much attention the hanging paracord received...
Hopefully my camera whoas are behind me, had a heck of a time with them... Both Primos Proof cams went on the blink, so I bought a $35 Tasco cam from walleyworld but couldn't get it to capture video neither so took it back, got another and it didn't work, so took it back... Right now I have 2 of the cheap Primos Quick Shot cams out there but their videos only works about part of the time too... Had Cabela's Club points burning a hole in my pocket so I ended up getting a new Moultrie Edge cellular camera the other day but haven't a chance to get it out yet... More to come...
Haven't given up on the hanging shed yet, but am also gonna be experimenting more with paracord in the future...
Interesting, Jeff. Don’t know much about blacktail behavior. Do they make scrapes like whitetails, or you think it’s just more of a curiosity to the bucks in your area? Any does check it out?
The vines sure got a ton of attention on my place from bucks and does alike. I didn't get any pics of raccoons hanging from them, so maybe I did something wrong;)
I made a mock scrape last year just hanging a grapevine and clearing the ground. Couldn't believe the results!! This year it opened up on it's own. Here is one of many videos off it from last month. This buck pushed the doe around in circles for 10 minutes or so.
If ya go back to my posts on Nov 5th starting with:
"Don't have a post set yet, so brainstorming today, a mighty oak snag fell into the middle of my field last year too big for me to cut up, and although deer will jump over the thick trunk they usually walk around the top end and actually have a slight trail so made a branch extension attaching arching vine over the small trail... Am curious to see if it'll receive any action... Don't have a trail-cam on it, but I can see it from my windows...8^)
Have walked by that vine I attached to the downed oak in the field several time the past month or so and no sign of scraping under it and look out the windows many times a day and have yet to see a deer near the vine, that is until today...
I flipped on the deck light early this morning and there is this button buck going at it with this vine... I about lost it,,, he was like fighting with it and rubbing his head like an antlered buck rubbing a tree, then he'd lick it and rub his face all over it like a liking branch... It was kind comical, and I was watching to see if he'd scrape (have never seen a button scrape) but he didn't...
Been watching that vine for almost 2 months without seeing a thing, then wham this little guy gives me a show... Gotta get a trailcam out there and see how hard they are hitting it... Stay turned...8^)
As for the Blacktails, yeah that is interesting... Had read neither Blacktails nor Mulies made scrapes but hadn't thought about them and licking branches... Have never seen a Blacktail, and hadn't been around Mulies a lot to know... I do know Pronghorns will scrape and work high weed vegetation like a licking branch cause I seen it once...
Yeah Jeff, please keep us informed about the Blacktails...
Pretty sure the last pic he is rubbing his antler on it. I deleted a lot of pics over the last couple months, these were ones I found left on the card.
I do know that Mature Blacktails make scrapes, I've seen them many times over the years. See link to this RealTree article:
Hmmm elkmtngear, did not know that, thanks for sharing...
Curious, since they scrape, do blacktails herd does in herams like mule deer or is it one on one like whitetails? Would assume it's be one on one since they scrape... Basically these licking branches/vine are signposts, a meeting place... Elk wallow, moose wallow, whitetails, blacktails and even pronghorn will scrape... But you never hear or read the subject of Mulies scraping... I assumed blacktails and mule deer being so closely related were the same in that aspect... Although pronghorn scraping isn't a subject I've heard or read about either... It's an interesting subject...
Gary, it seems to me, that the does tend to "herd themselves", and the bucks come down and get on the ones that are in peak estrus. At least that's how it feels in my area. The little (more local) bucks will start to posture and follow a doe early on, and are quickly booted out of the area when the bigger bucks come down. I have on a few occasions, witnessed a large gathering of does, with a single buck in attendance, but that was in a "Muley Cross" area, where the deer have strong muley genetics.
So, I guess it's not much different than the Whitetail rut. I've seen bucks run a single doe for miles, during the peak rut.
From what I've read, Mule Deer are actually a subspecies of Blacktail Deer, that split off ages ago: "The mitochondrial DNA is a piece of genome. An organism inherits it from its mother. From the analysis of the mitochondrial DNA of these deer species, certain historical facts have come to light. The whitetail deer evolved about 3.5 million years ago, which makes it the oldest among the deer species. Later, a part of its population evolved into blacktail deer on the Pacific coast.
Then the blacktail deer started colonizing the continent. When they met the whitetail deer, it led to hybridization. As a result, the hybrids evolved into the mule deer. So, the fact that one should consider mule deer as a sub-species of blacktail is true to a great extent"
I made two new mock scrapes on November 4th about 500 yards apart on the same mid-west farm. One was a year old hemp rope hanging from a live green cedar. The other was about four feet of a braided cotton horse lead. I added a red oak cluster of foliage above that scrape as there was no natural leaves overhead. I dressed both wicks with Smokey's Wicked Wicks pre-orbital compound. Both scrapes were visited within 24 hours. The intensity of use increased daily with peak use on November 11th. I got multiple video clip footage of four different mature bucks that I would tag if given the opportunity. Only two immature bucks visited. One nice buck visited the cotton wick five times in one day and nine times after his first visit. The oak cluster doctored with Smokey's got a lot of attention. A 5x5 finally tore the entire branch down. I found the rope laying on the ground in the scrape. Scrape use on these two scrapes and multiple others dropped way off after the third week in November. I'll try to send some clips and photos but I'm not a computer guy. What's a URL? Ha!
Creosote soaked hemp rope smells too loud for me but I must admit it doesn't seem to bother deer as much as it bothers me. Old anchor rope from salt water is good. Braided cotton horse leads in less vivid colors will gather rainwater easily but seem to drip dry quickly when hung vertically as long as the scent is oil based. I'm thinking standard horse leads are about an inch thick. Plastic zip ties work well to tighten the wick ends from fraying. I also started using small zip ties to tie off the bladder and rectum while gutting deer. Gene's tip of the week! I think my daughter will be over tomorrow. Hopefully she can figure out how to post some awesome video clips from last November. Stay tuned.
Creosote soaked hemp rope smells too loud for me but I must admit it doesn't seem to bother deer as much as it bothers me. Old anchor rope from salt water is good. Braided cotton horse leads in less vivid colors will gather rainwater easily but seem to drip dry quickly when hung vertically as long as the scent is oil based. I'm thinking standard horse leads are about an inch thick. Plastic zip ties work well to tighten the wick ends from fraying. I also started using small zip ties to tie off the bladder and rectum while gutting deer. Gene's tip of the week! I think my daughter will be over tomorrow. Hopefully she can figure out how to post some awesome video clips from last November. Stay tuned.
Never felt the 5/8" hemp rope coil I bought was thick enough and started supporting it with a vine, but had looked before for 1" natural fiber rope but was unable to find locally, now doing an internet search, am seeing it readily available online...
Gene - Did you ever try paracord or a small size diameter cord like that? I was pleasantly surprised to see the attention mine received...
BTW, tiewraps/zipties are one of the greatest inventions ever...8^)
I cannot figure out how to post video clips. Sorry! Here is one photo of one of the bucks. The bigger bucks are all on video clips. If anyone wants me to email some clips to them send me an email at [email protected]
Might have to try a rope. Have a big community scrape where I hunt. Gets hit year around by bucks & does. Never seen it as big as this August. All the licking branches are oak. Pretty much all of them have died from oak wilt. Once the dead branches were broken off out of reach scrape activity nearly stopped this year. I don’t know about you guys but I’ve never seen a scrape anywhere as big.
Can’t say that I have, Basil. Looks like a dozer has been in there! I have a community scrape at a plum thicket, that is probably close to that size, but it more like a series of 4-5 separate scrapes that are just clustered close together.
Wow, what a brute Gene, thanks for sharing... Did ya kill him? Guess a better way to ask would be, how'd your season go?
Personally haven't tried to post a video here since Bowsite TV, but have read you upload the video to YouTube and embed link here... When a chance, I can try to upload a video on YouTube and see how it goes... I have a google account, if I can figure it, will create a YouTube channel and will email you...
Dang Basil, they scrape like that in summer? Have seen and have trailcam footage doing the licking branch thing year round but haven't seen them scrape in midsummer... But when it comes to whitetails, will never say never...8^)
Okay, I think I just created my first ever YouTube video... Short 10 second of a button buck and his mother working my hangs on a foggy morning, will link it here... Have to go to work now, but will try to add when a change... Gene, I can email you once perfected...
Yep Zbone that pic was from August 3rd. Pretty much anytime of year I go by there deer are working the branches & scraping. When I have a camera out it’s a steady parade as every deer on the property seems to visit it. Doesn’t translate into a good hunting spot though. Wind is very fickle in there. Never seen it blown up like this year. The was a bachelor group of 15-20 bucks there day & night. Got my hopes up for a big one but Sept. 10th they all disappeared. Right about the time they went hard horned.
Yep Zbone that pic was from August 3rd. Pretty much anytime of year I go by there deer are working the branches & scraping. When I have a camera out it’s a steady parade as every deer on the property seems to visit it. Doesn’t translate into a good hunting spot though. Wind is very fickle in there. Never seen it blown up like this year. The was a bachelor group of 15-20 bucks there day & night. Got my hopes up for a big one but Sept. 10th they all disappeared. Right about the time they went hard horned.
Thought I'd share some now enbedded videos of my hangs... As said have been pleasantly surprised the attention the paracord is getting, they even mouth and bite on it bringing another brainchild of just hanging a single cord down onto a shooting lane trail so have deer stop where you would like... If it would pause them just for a second or two would be great... Not like trying to start a scrape, but a spot for them to stop a moment, but if truth be known wouldn't be surprised if a single paracord would create a scrape... Am definitely going to experiment with it, and also the hanging shed... Recently pulled tralcam video may show promise...
This first short 11 second video embedded to this post shows a mature doe just pulled and released the hemp rope bouncing the limb then draws her attention the the paracord and starts mouthing it...
Luv this hang combination I now have, all four hangs receive attention, the hemp rope, the vine, the paracord and even the forked branch... Would guess about 80 - 90% of the deer that would pass by these hangs would stop and do some kind of investigation to at least one if not all objects...
I am a HUGE proponent of “Mock Scrapes” BUT NOT made with ropes. Sure, it’s fun to watch them work a rope but there is always a chance that this could happen, and it could have catastrophic consequences for the deer. Check out the link below and you’ll see why. THINK ABOUT IT!!! USE THE GRAPE VINES!!
